Cost of flying?

[radfordc]

I updated my logbook last weekend and was dismayed to see that I had flown only 33 hours in the last year. As an exercise I did a quick calculation of expenses over the same period....it looks like I paid in excess of $100/hour to fly my Sonex!

Seems that if I would fly more the cost/hr would drop significantly....maybe if I fly enough I can do it for free?

[kmacht]

Would you care to break down the costs over the last year for us? Are you including things like insurance, hangar, and other fixed costs? If you are then $100 an hour for 33 hours still seems reasonable to me to have your own aircraft available for use any time you want. Around here a cessna 150 rents for $120 an hour, is boring to fly, and is hard to get on the nice weekends.

Keith
#554

[radfordc]

Yes, that is fixed costs plus fuel, maintenance, etc. I guess the point is that there really isn't any such thing as a $35 hamburger anymore.

[Mike53]

Hey,there aren't many $100 hamburger joints around anymore.The cost of a hamburger for rental pilots like myself is approaching $125 in a 152,if we are to compare 2 seaters , X33 = an additional $825 /year :o

[MichaelFarley56]

It's always hard to justify any airplane, but the good news is the more you fly the lower the hourly costs will go! As a basis of comparison, a good friend of mine has a 1966 Cessna 182 and his calculated hourly costs (12 gallons per hour, $350/month hangar), is always between $250-300 per hour.

Yeah, probably best to not think about it, or if nothing else, just keep telling yourself that there are more expensive hobbies out there :D

[radfordc]

...just keep telling yourself that there are more expensive hobbies out there :D

I know...blondes, brunettes, redheads....

[chris]

...just keep telling yourself that there are more expensive hobbies out there :D

I know...blondes, brunettes, redheads....

:lol:

[Dan]

I've never been able to justify the cost of flying to myself much less my wife. My other problem is that I never fly enough so the hourly cost is something I don't want to think about. Of course we could all just go out and get a hamburger, hand them a $100 bill, and walk out the door to see how it feels. It makes about as much sense as flying. But I gotta say I do it cause it's fun and I like the feeling of accomplishment when it's over. Or is that the feeling of making it out alive???

[Andy Walker]

Flying a Sonex is cheap. I know because their website says so. :lol:

[radfordc]

Flying a Sonex is cheap. I know because their website says so. :lol:

It would be a whole lot cheaper if you didn't have to pay for a hangar, and an annual, and a transponder check, and property taxes, and insurance, and ......